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Medication-Assisted Therapies

Published on September 30, 2016

With the growing body of research illustrating the effectiveness of medication-assisted therapies and treatment, some individuals are still hesitant about employing these tactics, falling prey to the stigma that using a drug to overcome an addiction is weak or wrong. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Medication-assisted treatment makes it easier and safer for individuals to go through the withdrawal process and sets them up for a life of success.

Lasting recovery is founded on evidence-based compassionate care. Here, at The Treehouse, we let this guide our expert staff through each and every aspect of our treatment, resulting in a stronger foundation for you or your loved one to base your recovery upon. We know that effective treatment is multifaceted, and demands that we, your addiction specialists, adapt your care to address the needs and situations that are unique to your life and history.

Today, to better establish you on a path to wellness and sobriety, we’ve made medication-assisted therapies a cornerstone of our treatment program. This allows us to offer you comprehensive and cutting-edge care that works towards cleansing both your body and mind so that you have the greatest chance of long-term success.

The Role Of Medications Within Treatment

Even today, with the growing body of research illustrating the effectiveness of medication-assisted therapies and treatment, some individuals are still hesitant about employing these tactics, falling prey to the stigma that using a drug to overcome an addiction is weak or wrong. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Within this scenario, the operative word is “assisted,” meaning that these medications do not conclude or make up the entirety of the treatment, rather they are utilized as a supportive means of enhancing other therapeutic methods. When used properly in conjunction with other treatment modalities, notably therapy, medications can be highly effective.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reiterates that utilizing medications adjacent to therapy, is a successful way to treat substance use disorders, and in some cases, as a tool to support recovery, stating that “The prescribed medication operates to normalize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, relieve physiological cravings, and normalize body functions without the negative effects of the abused drug.”

A Safe And Supportive Detox

Recovery doesn’t happen overnight, instead, it is a series of steps that allows a person the opportunity to build a well-fortified groundwork to base their recovery on. Second, to seeking treatment, detoxing from drugs or alcohol is the first step within this process.

When a person compulsively uses drugs or alcohol, as is characteristic of an addiction, they create an environment within their body that is ripe for damage and imbalance to occur on a physiological, mental and emotional level. Before you can begin tackling the latter two, you need to address the first concern.

Detoxification is the process by which your body begins cleansing itself from the chemical overload that addiction imposed upon your system. During this time, depending on the drug of abuse, a person may encounter withdrawal, and at times painful, uncomfortable and even dangerous set of symptoms that occur as your body begins to detox.

In some cases, such as with certain instances of alcohol addiction, withdrawal may even be life-threatening. It is for these reasons, that we strongly recommend that a person never attempt to undergo withdrawal or detoxification on their own.

When you enlist our help, you ensure that you or your loved one is presented with a safe and comfortable setting in which to detox. Our addiction specialists understand the gauntlet of emotions and physical symptoms that can present during this time and will offer attentive, caring and expert care so that you may emerge in a better position to tackle the next steps of your recovery.

In the instance that a medical detox is warranted, such as is common in the case of opiate and alcohol addictions, our medical practitioners will monitor you around the clock, 24 hours a day, to ensure that both your physical and mental states are looked after, so that you remain as comfortable as possible during this important transitional time.

Utilizing Medications During Detox

When a person comes to us with opiate addiction, such as that which stems from heroin or prescription painkillers, our expert staff, led by our Treehouse Medical Director (a physician that is certified by the Board of Addiction Medicine) may determine that buprenorphine is an appropriate method of care.

Research illustrates Suboxone’s efficacy as a versatile and effective medicine for opiate addiction and withdrawal. Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist. This means that it acts on your opioid receptors, creating effects that are similar, but much less than that of full agonists, such as heroin. By binding to these receptors, it does two things that are crucial during detox. It reduces or eliminates the symptoms of withdrawal, as noted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and diminishes cravings, both of which grant you greater measures of clarity and focus that you can devote to the next steps of your recovery.

Suboxone treatment is most effective when it is combined with therapy and psychosocial support, both of which are integrated within our treatment program. In addition, we offer medication-assisted detox for those who are striving towards sobriety from alcohol addiction. Please reach out to our rehab specialists for more information on how we use medications to assist you or your loved one during detox from alcohol.

Approaching Addiction And Mental Health Together

We understand that the road to addiction is paved with many things—the circumstances that bring each person to drug use and addiction are as wide and varied as their history. However, what we do know is that in many instances, a person struggling from addiction will also be contending with other disorders or illnesses. In fact, it can be these very struggles or dual diagnoses, that may have prompted a person to abuse drugs or alcohol in the first place, as a futile effort to self-medicate.

In the end, this attempt is fruitless, because addiction ultimately aggravates these things to the point that a person’s drug or alcohol use may further be accelerated in a fated attempt to compensate for the negative side effects.

What is heartbreaking is that in some cases an addiction may actually cause mental health disorders. However, it is these very things that we can help you with. At The Treehouse, our treatment is multidimensional and is customized to fit the unique demands of your life. We treat your whole body and mind.

Whether it be depression, anxiety, trauma, codependency, bipolar disorder or any other co-occurring disorder, we will treat them side by side with your addiction. This will lend to increasing your chances of a successful recovery and decreasing your odds of relapse.

In order to better do this, in some instances we may utilize various antidepressants to address a person’s depression or anxiety. By removing or significantly reducing these co-occurring disorders by the aid of these medications, we are effectively granting a person a greater chance at a sound mind and a more balanced emotional state. This safeguards their sobriety by alleviating the negative and debilitating emotions and thoughts that may become potential triggers.

Beyond this, we may utilize other non-addictive medications that may be elemental in addressing these or other co-occurring disorders. All of these medications allow us to help you in living an all-around more balanced and mindful life.

This balance is further enhanced by our intensive and engaging behavioral therapy programs. At The Treehouse, we integrate motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy to better serve you in uprooting the negative mindsets, emotions, and behaviors that may be preventing you from finding true success. Paired with proper medications, these therapies can ready you to face whatever life brings your way, by teaching you valuable coping and interpersonal skills.

Medication-Assisted Therapies Work

Sometimes, in order for a person to truly immerse themselves in the full benefit of treatment and stay steady on the path towards recovery, they need medication-assisted therapies. Please, don’t let sobriety fall out of your grasp due to misinformation about the role medication can have within rehabilitation.

For some people, medication-assisted therapies may mean the difference between a failed attempt at sobriety and a successful one. In addition, as sourced from SAMHSA, they may also:

“Decrease illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders”

Decrease a person’s odds of relapse

Protect their health—due to the decreased odds of relapse, research shows that the odds of contracting HIV or hepatitis C are reduced

Help someone work towards living a self-directed life

Increase patient survival

Increase retention rates within rehabilitation

Help a person in obtaining and maintaining gainful employment

Please, let us revitalize your life and help you to acquire these and other positive transformations.

We Can Help You Find Find Sobriety And Wellness

Don’t let your addiction control your life. You have the power to change and find better health, happiness, and sobriety. The Treehouse’s caring staff is standing by to help you begin this journey. We can help you or your loved one by determining which therapies, modalities or medications are best for you, and integrate them into a comprehensive treatment program that can establish you on your own personal journey towards recovery.

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The Treehouse is a residential drug and alcohol treatment center and can be instrumental for those who have fought substance addiction that co-occurs with mental health conditions. Certain mental health needs may exceed the scope of what can be provided at our facility. Our clinical and medical teams reserve the right to recommend and medically discharge a patient for a higher level of care in order to adequately treat the patient’s mental health condition.